Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Equatorial Guinea

Name: Equatorial Guinea
Address: GQ

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,445 in Equatorial Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Equatorial Guinea
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Equatorial Guinea Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Equatorial Guinea

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Africa and in Equatorial Guinea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $1,445 in Equatorial Guinea.

South Africa $1,203
Equatorial Guinea $1,445

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $2,133 in Equatorial Guinea.

South Africa $1,893
Equatorial Guinea $2,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $2,820 in Equatorial Guinea.

South Africa $2,583
Equatorial Guinea $2,820

South Africa ($618–$1,556) and Equatorial Guinea ($634–$1,431) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in South Africa costs about 17% less than in Equatorial Guinea on average.

South Africa (12% below) and Equatorial Guinea (6% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$13.80 FCFA 8,129

-22.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$55.8 FCFA 32.9K

-25.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$8.54 FCFA 5,029

-32.08%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$3.94 FCFA 2,321

-40.10%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.03 FCFA 609

8.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$0.62 FCFA 364

45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$2.50 FCFA 1,470

-3.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$4.32 FCFA 2,543

-29.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$2.44 FCFA 1,438

-51.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$3.01 FCFA 1,775

-62.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.60 FCFA 945

8.75%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$3.19 FCFA 1,880

-19.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$8.36 FCFA 4,926

0.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$6.68 FCFA 3,932

-23.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$8.98 FCFA 5,290

-15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$6.21 FCFA 3,656

-71.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.68 FCFA 988

3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$8.44 FCFA 4,971

-79.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$3.34 FCFA 1,970

-47.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$2.58 FCFA 1,522

-42.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$2.60 FCFA 1,530

-43.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$0.88 FCFA 519

39.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$1.25 FCFA 736

-12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$4.68 FCFA 2,756

-30.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$6.00 FCFA 3,537

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$2.48 FCFA 1,463

-39.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$0.81 FCFA 476

139.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$1.73 FCFA 1,018

-14.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$26.49 FCFA 15.6K

123.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$0.87 FCFA 511

25.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$0.82 FCFA 481

20.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.04 FCFA 615

37.50%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.3K R 587.4K

$33.0K FCFA 19.5M

6.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.4K R 539.7K

$29.9K FCFA 17.6M

8.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$133 R 2,208

$346 FCFA 203.8K

-61.63%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$34.83 R 580

$17.58 FCFA 10.4K

98.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$50.7 FCFA 29.9K

-21.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$51.1 FCFA 30.1K

-35.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$14.82 FCFA 8,728

-21.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$5.42 FCFA 3,194

32.47%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$224 R 3,728

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$336 FCFA 198.0K

1524.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$77.4 FCFA 45.6K

-29.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$68.9 FCFA 40.6K

-50.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$146 FCFA 86.2K

-30.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$135 FCFA 79.5K

-34.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$377 FCFA 221.8K

30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$219 FCFA 128.7K

81.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$473 FCFA 278.9K

99.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$305 FCFA 179.4K

171.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$836 FCFA 492.1K

31.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$646 FCFA 380.2K

19.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$752 FCFA 443.1K

99.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

6.8

65.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Equatorial Guinea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Equatorial Guinea

$219 15.1% 45.1% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Equatorial Guinea

$414 28.7% 99.8% $207

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Equatorial Guinea

$308 21.3% 57.3% $112

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Equatorial Guinea

$211 14.6% 34.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Equatorial Guinea

$192 13.3% 53.3% $67

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Equatorial Guinea

$38 2.7% 46.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Equatorial Guinea

$62 4.3% 30.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $769 in Equatorial Guinea. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 12% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 44% more in Equatorial Guinea.

Public transport is 135% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 93% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

1 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

1,847,549

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Africa Equatorial Guinea 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Equatorial Guinea

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

South Africa vs Equatorial Guinea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,445 per month in Equatorial Guinea and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 20% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, South Africa is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: South Africa wins on affordability; Equatorial Guinea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.